Leonardo da Vinci - Research Paper Example

Outline 0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..2 2.0 Leonardo’s struggles…………………………………………………………………………..2 2 Acclaims of Leonardo da Vinci…………...…………………………………………………..3 2.2 Why Leonardo is worth being studied………………………………………………………..4 3.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….5 4.0 References…………………………………………………………………………………….6 1.0: Introduction Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 to Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman, at the hill town of Vinci, Italy. Even though not much is known about his early life, this has been the topic of historical conjecture (Brigstoke, 2001). Leonardo was a sculptor, painter, writer, botanist, anatomist, inventor, geologist, engineer, scientist, mathematician, architect, musician and polymath. He was practically good at everything. He has been, in many instances described as the man with the prototype of the Renaissance man. While it is true that he experienced difficulties in his work, Leonardo da Vinci is arguably one of the most multitalented and brilliant people to ever have lived. This paper seeks to explore his life achievements, struggles and explain why Leonardo da Vinci is a man worth taking note of. 2.0: Leonardo’s struggles In the modern world, virtual reality can be defined as a simulation whereby computer graphics are used to simulate a real world that can respond to inputs by the computer user (Burdea & Coiffet, 2003). Virtual reality systems simulate scenes in the real world to enable them be viewed in three dimensions. Issues at the centre of virtual reality have been present for a long period of time, including Leonardo’s time. In his numerous notebooks, Leonardo struggled with differentiating between the perception and painting of a scene which he summarized as the difference between monocular and binocular vision. Leonardo da Vinci could not create on canvas, in Ames’ terminology, an equivalent of configuration (Wade et al., 2001). He may have had little knowledge of ocular anatomy but his use of optics to the eye is spectacular. In addition, Leonardo possessed observational skills that had no match and his ability to generate virtual reality on canvas was without equal. Leonardo da Vinci (1721) noted that even though a painting may be carried out with the best art and finished perfectly, with consideration of its lights, contours, colors, shadows, it can never show the relief possessed by a natural object unless these qualities are looked at from a distance with a single eye. In other words, the perception of deepness in a painting is not as complete as that of a natural scene seen with both eyes. He struggled for long with the contrast between binocular and monocular vision (Wade et al., 2001). In one of his notebooks, Leonardo wrote down how he had to repeat his experiments several times before coming to a conclusion. The reason he gave for this was that the subjects of study were numerous and his memory could not retain all of them at the same time (MacCurdy, 1955). This statement not only applied to the numerous diagrams and notes he made but also reflected his struggle with mimicking nature on canvas and possibly, his aggravation with the realization of his inability to completely do so. According to Leonardo’s three notes in Wade et al (2001), it is obvious that Leonardo was more troubled by his inability to accurately mimic the perception of a three dimensional scene onto a canvas than with the inability to correctly reproduce the directions of items with respect to both eyes, even though both impossibilities are linked geometrically. 2.1: Acclaims of Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci has received a lot of acclaim; even after his death. This is because his many achievements could not be matched. Some of his discoveries and inventions were said to be ahead of his time (Wade et al, 2001). Leonardo made discoveries in geology, meteorology, learned how the moon affects tides, foreshadowed the modern theories on how the continents formed and figured out the nature of fossils. He was among the inventors of hydraulics science, invented numerous potentially ingenious and useful devices and machines, including an underwater diving suit and perhaps devised the hydrometer. Unfortunately, most of Leonardo’s treatises and projects were never completed. He recorded his sketches and technical notes in many notebooks that constituted the Codex Atlanticus. His utilization of the mirror script contributed to his observations and discoveries remaining undistributed and unread for centuries after his demise. Albeit, he is still regarded as a legend and perhaps the most diversely gifted human being who ever lived (Gardner, 1970). It is, therefore, no wonder that many books have been published about his works. Leonardo mastered many arts, but it was his paintings that earned him acclaim from his peers. The Legend was so famous during his lifetime so that he was treated like a trophy by the then king of France. There have been claims that the king supported Leonardo in his old age and even during his death. Today, crowds still line up to have a glimpse of Leonardo da Vinci’s favorite works of art, wear T-shirts bearing his drawings and writings, and continue to speculate about his life and what he believed in (Arasse, 1998). 2.2: Why Leonardo is worth being studied Leonardo da Vinci’s discoveries and inventions, both practical and impractical, provide a lot of lessons that can be helpful in the modern day. His way of thinking was unique and enabled him come up with discoveries that impressed many. Scientists, artists and engineers have a lot to learn from his works. The Leonardo bridge project in Norway constructed in 2001 is an example of how Leonardo’s work can be utilized in the modern day. In 1502, Leonardo designed a plan for a 240-meters bridge to span the Golden Horn as a project of the Sultan of Istanbul. The sultan, however, did not pursue it thinking it was impossibility. Centuries later, in 2006, the Turkish government constructed the same bridge at the same location. Leonardo showed the connection between science and art by combining his artistic drawings, paintings and sculptures with his discoveries of the natural world (Burnaford et al., 2001). Since Leonardo’s time, art and science have been divorced, with art being considered emotional and subjective while science being seen as analytical and rational. Leonardo saw the powerful connection between the two and how combining science and art can give us a better understanding of how things work. An example is using art to explain genetics. At the beginning of a lesson, students who may not have any previous knowledge about the DNA will find it difficult understanding how it functions if it were to be explained to them scientifically. Representing amino acids artistically as building blocks of DNA while explaining the functions of each part provides fun for the students while at the same time goes a long way in boosting understanding among the students (Burnaford et al., 2001). There are many more other things that one can learn from Leonardo’s work that are helpful in today’s world therefore providing all the reasons why Leonardo’s work should be studied. He was a genius from whom we can learn a lot. 3.0: Conclusion Leonardo da Vinci was a man who had an unquenchable curiosity that was equivalent to his invention powers. He was able to significantly advance the knowledge in several fields that he studied providing a new way of looking at things. Most of his discoveries may have been unusual during his time, but can be very useful in the world today. References Arasse, Daniel (1998) Leonardo da Vinci: the Rhythm of the World, Old Saybrook, Konecky and Konecky. Brigstoke, Hugh (2001) The Oxford Companion to Western Art, USA, Oxford University Press. Burdea , Grigore and Coiffet, Phillipe (2003) Virtual Reality Technology, New Jersey, John Willey and Sons Inc. Burnaford, G.E., Aprill, A. and Weiss, C. (2001) Renaissance in the Classroom: Arts Integration and Meaningful Learning, London, Routledge. Gardner, Helen (1970) Art Through the Ages, San Diego, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Leonardo da Vinci, (1721) A Treatise of Painting, London, Senex and Tallor. MacCurdy, E. (1955) The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, New York, Braziller. Wade, Nicholas J., Ono, Hiroshi and Lillakas, Linda (2001) Leonardo, MIT Press Journals, 34(3), 231-235. Read More